Office of Aviation Safety

Customs and Border Protection

Predator B Accident

Customs and Border Protection

Predator B Accident Nogales, Arizona

April 25, 2006

Mobile Ground Control Station

(MGCS) Ground Control Station (GCS)

PPO-1 PPO-2

Southern US Border TFR

Crash Site

Route of Flight

Departure Airport & Ground Control Station (GCS)

TFR Boundary

Accident SequenceAccident Sequence

• 6:51 pm - Aircraft departs• 3:32 am - PPO-1 locks up• 3:33 am - Switches control to PPO-2

– Fuel cut off to aircraft

• 3:35 am - Sends aircraft to lost link• Aircraft descends below LOS and

impacts terrain

Condition lever

Throttle

Speed lever

Iris control

Field of view

Focus

Pilot Qualification ReviewPilot Qualification Review

• CBP requirements– Commercial/Instrument pilot– 200 hours manned aircraft– 200 hours UAS

• Pilot experience– 3,035 hours – manned aircraft – 519 hours – Predator A– 27 hours – Predator B

Pilot Training ReviewPilot Training Review

• Pilots were General Atomics employees

• General Atomics provided training• No CBP government flight

representative• Verbal agreement

UAS Lock-upsUAS Lock-ups

• 4 Months– 16 lock-ups– 2 prior to accident flight

• GCS maintenance plans were inadequate

• No spare parts

Accident FindingsAccident Findings

• Pilot had minimal Predator B experience

• Pilot met flight time requirements• Instructor pilot not present in GCS• Pilot failed to use checklist • Pilot did not identify engine status

Accident FindingsAccident Findings

• Unresolved console lockups• Maintenance procedures• Inadequate oversight by CBP

StaffStaff

• Daniel Bartlett ATC• John Clark Chief Scientist• Bill English Facilitator• Steve Magladry Systems• Ed Malinowski Structures/Powerplant• Dana Schulze System Safety• Pam Sullivan IIC/Operations• Michelle Wright Editor

Parties to the InvestigationParties to the Investigation

• Federal Aviation Administration• Customs and Border Protection• General Atomics Aeronautical

Systems, Inc.• Honeywell